If You Give A Surgeon Play-Doh....

Today at the hospital, we saw a total hip replacement. When putting the metal pieces back into the leg and hip, the surgeons used this cool stuff called bone cement, which resembles Play-Doh, both in its composition and in its ability to inspire creativity, apparently. A powder is added to a vial of liquid, which starts a chemical reaction to make a doughy substance. After the surgeon took what he needed for the bone, one of the surgical technicians gave the leftover bone cement to the two nurses who were assisting in the OR. I think that they must not use this stuff very often, because everybody got really excited and while they were waiting for the cement to harden in the bone, the surgeons and nurses started playing with the leftover bone cement. The nurses made a cross, the anesthesiologist made an airplane, and the surgical assistant carefully shaped his piece of bone cement into a penis, which greatly amused everyone. After a few minutes, all the
pieces got really hot and hardened, and the surgeons put down their new figures and went back to the hip surgery. It was fun to see them all relax and let their guard down, since they are usually so uptight and serious.

Jessica from England went home yesterday, and was replaced in the house by a French boy, Brice. Jess and I got here at about the same time, and I have many memories of us going shopping at the temple bazaar, traveling, watching Scrubs and Friends at night after we were stuck at home at curfew, and making fun of each others' accents (her speaking "the Queen's English" and me doing impressions of her saying "I just can't be bothered to go to bed so early!"). It was definitely a reminder that I'm running out of time with my host family and to see everything that I want to see in Madurai. On Friday, I will go with my host mother to an Indian wedding, which I'm really excited about. It will also be a great chance to show off the matching black with white and purple pinstripes pants and vest that I had made for $10.

Off to yoga now, which has gotten increasingly harder since my yoga teacher extends our meditation time each day and my ability to focus is diminishing as I near the end of my time here and as it seems to grow hotter each day.